CAG: Absent MPs receive allowances

The Controller and Auditor General has noted improper payment of millions of shillings as sitting allowances to members of Parliament who were not attending House sessions.

In his annual general report on the central government for the year ended June 30, 2011, CAG Ludovick Utouh said members of parliament received allowances amounting to 6,960,000/- as per diem during parliamentary sessions while they were not in Dodoma while 20,915,126/- were paid to various officers and MPs contrary to standing orders and staff circular.

Utouh said that imprests totaling 65,803,144/- were outstanding at the end of the year contrary to regulation 103 (1) of public financial regulations of 2001 which requires that outstanding imprests must be retired before new ones are issued.

“In addition retirement must be done within 14 days of returning from the safari or upon completion of the assignment for which the imprest was issued,” said Utouh in his report.

He revealed further that payments amounting to 163,195,130.34 were not supported by relevant documents contrary to regulation 95 (4) of the public financial regulations of 2001 which was revised in 2004.

CAG established again that the National assembly had extra duty and other allowances amounting to 94,000,000/- which were paid to various National Assembly staff.

“But the amount was recognised as intangible assets in the statement of cash receipts and payments. This is misclassification of financial statement items,” said CAG.

According to him the management had reported outstanding liabilities in the financial statement amounting to 209,010,235/- which is contrary to cash budget used by the government.

“We noted that payment of vouchers were missing for a total expenditure of 170,858,030/- contrary to regulation 95 (4) of the public finance regulations of 2001 which again was revised in 2004,” said Utouh in his report.

He said the management of the Bunge had purchased a printing machine at a cost of 370,019,894/- which doesn’t work. “As a result it had to hire another printing machine at an annual lease fee of 190,480,496/-,” said CAG in his report.

He revealed that the management had not kept proper records like fixed assets register resulting into various anomalies.

He said two cars with registration numbers STK 8590 Toyota Land Cruiser hardtop and STK 3039 Toyota Land Cruiser were excluded from the fixed assets register understating the value of assets reported in the financial statement.

CAG said further that the register didn’t show vital information or details of the assets such as serial number, year of make, chassis number limiting his office to carry out physical verification of the assets by the national assembly.